Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-06-21
Queen yictoria,s Jubilee.

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queen victOria's Jubilee.
The fiftieth anniversary Of the acces-
sion of Queen Victoria to the throne of
England will be celebrated to-day in
London with pomp and magnifcence
never before witnessed, even in that his
torical city. The ceremonies of the oc-
casion will take place inside of West
Minister Abbey, the most magnificent
ard interesting mausoleum in the world
where are sepultured the monarchs
and great men of England from the
time of the Heptarcby down to the
present day. But the grand pageant
that W hich will cause the liveliest pop
ular interest-will be the procession from
Buckingham Palace to Hyde Park,
thence along Picadilly, st. James and
Pail Mall to Trafalgar Square, and
thence by Whitehall and Downing
street to the Abbey. Over a million
people will crowd all these thorough
fares nd squares to witness this grand
pageant. Representatives from all the
civilized governments of the earth will
take part in the procession. Kings
and mobiles from other countries will be
there in state carrisges. and detacbments
from every arm of the British service
will march in it. The rich and varied
uniforms OF the English soldiery-re-
splen dent in colors and dazzling in
mou ntirgs-will give eclat to the oeca-
sion. The Queen herself will be an at
ira action and a novelty to even London
ers themselves, for she so rarely visits
her ca pital-and when she does, it is in
q re tired and quiet way-that but few
of them have ever. seen her.
After reign of fifty years, Victoria
forms one of the most remarkable per-
sonsges in Europe. When she ascended
the throne in 1887, she was a girl
eig hteen years of age. At that
time there was no railroad in England
except the Manchester and Liverpool
experiment; the electric telegraph had
not yet been brought to working per-
fecti by Morse; the British island
wa traversed by the mail coach; steam
ships were in the experimental stage.
In hat year a writer named Dickens
publ shed a serial called "Pickwick
Pape s"-his first successful literary
venture; and Carlyle gave to the world
his French Revolution" Macaulay
was writing essays for the Reviews, and
Tina ckeray was tuft.hunting around
Alma ck's and Whites. Beaconsfield
was looming out in curls and jewelry
at fou rth rate dinners; Gladstone filled
a clerical position in the Foreign Office;
Ca inning, Huskisson, Lyndhurst, Palm.
erston, Lord John Russell, Peel, Grey,
Golden, Croker, were leading lights in
the politics of Great Britain. The Corn
Laws were under discussion, and the
Chartists, who afterwards came to ca.
lamitous climax, were agitating their
proposed parliamentary reforms. From
that time to this Victoria is the only
monarch that has sat firmly on her
tn rome. All around her have been rev.
olu tions and changes in governments
and dynasties. When in lS4S hurri-
can of democracy swept over the con-
tine Mt, bearing down and setting up
thrones and autonomies, Victoria passed
thro ugh the ordeal unscathed. She has
he Id her sceptre in firm grip simply
because she has been ruled by her Par
Ii aments and her ministries, who repre-
sented public opinion. Iti hardly exact
to call her ruler. She is a constitu
ii onal monarch who presides at the head
of the government, which for the time
being represents the sentiments Of the
p arty in the majority.
Whatever expressions or wrongs may
have been endured during her reign by
any portion of her subjects, they cannot
be justly charged to her. She has never
re fused-indeed it would be suicidal for
her to refuse-to give her consent to any
act passed by her Parliament. Ostensibly
she ommands her Ministers; but in fact
they command her. When any Premier
pr esents her with bill that has passed
Parl lament for her sanction, it is mere
form. If he says her answer should be
'sla refine le veut," that is the only
answer she can give, She will say
Eyes" to the Crimes Act when Salisbury
ca lis upon her with it, the same as she
would have said "yes" to Gladstone
had he gone up from Parliament with
his measure granting Home Rule to
Ireland in his hand. 1t is not her will
that rules, but the will of the Houses of
Lords and Commons, whose members are
su pposed to reflect the will of the peo-
pie OF England. Therefore it. would not
be logical for any of her disafected sub
jects to charge their wrongs upon her
pers onally. 1t is doubtful whether she,
as Queen. exerts any perceptible infu.
ence upon public opinion; and it is more
Than doubtful that she comprehends
English politics to the extent that any
WE'LL read woman in the United States J